


Strawberry Chapstick

by bubblytonks



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, First Dates, Fluff, One Shot, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, happy remus, happy tonks, its what they DESERVE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:01:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27637900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblytonks/pseuds/bubblytonks
Summary: Tonks finds out, that Remus has never really been on a date before, so she decides to take him out one day. Fluff, fluff, more fluff.
Relationships: Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	Strawberry Chapstick

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is just me giving Remus and Tonks a happy time, because they honestly deserve some happiness for once. Slightly AU I guess, since the movie, they're watching only came out in 2001, but whatever. Hope you enjoy :)

Remus Lupin was leaning against the wall outside of the Hog‘s Head. It had been a warm late autumn day, the sun was setting behind the small town of Hogsmeade, bathing its houses in golden light. The man looked down at his pocket watch to find the hands pointing at quarter past five. Nymphadora Tonks was late, but he didn’t mind, he merely smirked to himself. She was always late.

A faint plopping noise indicated her arrival and Remus looked up to see her rushing towards him. Her mint green hair was curling around her heart shaped face in a wild bob today and it was glowing vibrantly in the setting sun. She grinned up at him, her eyes sparkling, reflecting the last rays of orange light.

“Wotcher, Remus!”, Tonks greeted. A second later she scrunched up her nose and changed her hair to a more subtle brownish tone. Remus missed the vivid green instantly.

“Hello, Tonks. After you”, he opened the door and gestured for her to step into the gloomy pub. It was busier than usual, though the conversations were barely more than a whisper. Everybody in there seemed to hide something. Tonks chose a booth at the back of the bar, where they could easily see anyone entering or leaving the tavern. She looked around, nervously chewing her lower lip, before she flashed Remus another wide grin.

“This will do”, she whispered. She shook off her coat and bounced back to the counter to order two butterbeers.

“You have to stop smiling like that, nobody is smiling in here”, Remus chuckled as she returned. He wouldn’t mind seeing her laugh for hours on end, but he figured it would raise suspicions.

“But we’re supposed to be on a date and if I remember correctly, dates are meant to be fun”, Tonks teased. She took a large gulp of her butterbeer, not noticing the blush creeping up his cheeks.

“Nobody’s going to believe that anyway”, Remus laughed softly. His eyes darted to the door to avoid looking at her.

“Why not?”, she demanded. Her gaze was fixed on his features and it seemed like an earnest question.

“Tonks, people seeing us will think you’re an ex-student of mine. Or worse, my daughter”, Remus reminded her, “Plus, who would go on a date at the Hog’s Head?”

“I did once”, Tonks chuckled, “It was a disaster.” She couldn’t help but grin at him again. Her attention was on him entirely and she hoped he would keep a lookout for possible Death Eater activity, as they were supposed to. Of course his venue for a first date wouldn’t be the Hog’s Head, but she wondered what would be.

“So, where would you take your date? And no, the library isn’t an option”, Tonks asked playfully. His eyes snapped from the door back to her and according to the expression on his face, she had just asked the most ridiculous question.

“I’m not exactly an expert on romantic relationships, you know”, was all Remus said, before turning his concentration back to the room. Although a slight smile lingered on his lips, his eyes had a regretful sentiment to them.

“How is that?”, again she showed genuine interest, but it was hard for him to believe, that she hadn’t figured out the obvious answer to her question. After all, she knew about his condition and forgetting about it was almost impossible with his appearance reflecting it so blatantly.

“I’m a werewolf, Tonks. That’s not really on anyone’s checklist for the perfect man”, Remus replied dryly. Tonks shrugged and studied the table.

“Still, you must have been out a few times, at least with Sirius”, she was painfully aware of how personal her questions were, but still she kept pushing. She needed to know for some reason and they had grown quite close, despite her probing him with questions every time she got the chance. Tonks had always been a rather curious person, but Remus didn’t seem to mind.

“Not really. Sirius kissed me for the first time during a Quidditch match against Slytherin and after that we just kind of got together. But there wasn’t a real first date, because even then, everywhere we went, we were with James, Lily and Wormtail”, Remus smiled softly at the memories, “After Sirius’ imprisonment, I traveled a lot. I visited werewolf communities, where I met some people, but going out isn’t really a thing there. So, no first dates for me.”

It was surprisingly easy for Remus to talk to Tonks. Over the last months, he had shared secrets with her, that he had thought he would take to his grave. A part of him was still scared every time, that his honesty would drive her away, but she had never shown any signs of disgust whatsoever.

“I’m not exactly sure if I should feel sorry for you or envy you”, Tonks joked.

“Why would you envy me? Haven’t had any good dates?”, Remus asked casually, his attention back on her. He gave up staring at the door, the only noises in the murky pub were whispers and the occasional burps from a drunk wizard at the counter, so they would surely hear an opening door.

“Well, not lately anyway. Though, with my work at the Ministry and the Order, it’s nearly impossible to go out at all, I haven’t seen my old friends in ages”, she mumbled into the sleeve of her jumper. The glass in front of her was almost empty and she jumped up to get two more for them.

Remus watched her stroll through the room. Describing Tonks as graceful would be an overstatement, but she had a certain elegance to her, even with her clumsiness. Her walk was always confident, rather bouncy and joyful. He thought about her ability to radiate warmth wherever she went and how she always seemed to be the most colorful person in the room even with her dark hair and clothes. She fascinated him in so many ways.

The creak of a door jerked Remus out of his thoughts. Two hooded figures entered the bar and slowly looked around, but he was unable to see their faces. He tried to make eye contact with Tonks, but she was chatting with the bar man. The two men made their way over to an empty table near him. His heart was skipping a beat as he felt their eyes on him, but his face was blank.

Tonks staggered back to where he was waiting with two full glasses of butterbeer floating behind her, but instead of sitting back down opposite him, she slid onto the bench beside him. She giggled as if he had just told a funny joke and clinked her glass against his. Remus looked slightly puzzled and suddenly she leaned close to him. As her hot breath hit his cheek, the hair on his neck stood on end. For a second he was under the impression, that she would kiss him, but he immediately scolded himself for such a thought.

“The one sitting next to the window is Warick Cole. I know his file, he convinced the Ministry, that he had been under the Imperius Curse in the last war. The other one has to be Gwydion Wayne. Couldn’t see his face properly, but he’s one of the criminals Mundungus is dealing with”, Tonks whispered into Remus’ ear. He tried his best to follow her words, but he was barely able to keep his heart rate at a healthy level. She was way too close. His nose was filled with the smell of her strawberry chapstick and he so desperately wanted to turn his head towards her and get a taste of it.

Remus reminded himself, that they were on an assignment and focused on what he had just heard. The name Warick Cole rang a bell, but he couldn’t remember where he had heard it before. Remus sensed the four eyes lingering on him and Tonks from under their hoods. Tonks must have felt it too, because she started to play with the collar of his shirt and giggled again. To his surprise she managed to scoot even closer, basically sitting on his lap now.

“You have to play along”, Tonks breathed into his ear, “You look like a deer in headlights.” A genuine laughter escaped her and somehow her hand found its way into his hair. Remus closed his eyes for a second, before he carefully placed an arm around her waist.

Having lost interest in them, the two hooded strangers were now talking quietly about some stolen goods. Apparently the one Tonks had called Wayne had something the other man needed. It was impossible to make out what it was, but Remus managed to catch Cole naming an address for delivery.

Finally the two of them shook hands and left the pub together. Tonks watched them out of the corner of her eye. As the coast was clear, she slid away from Remus. Warmth had spread where his hand had lain on her hip and the absence of it made her heart ache. Still she looked at him, her signature grin back on her lips.

“I’d never have thought, that we would actually find something today”, she said happily.

A few days later, Tonks found herself in front of Grimmauld Place Number 12. It was one of her rare free days with only an Order meeting later on and she had wondered all morning, if Remus would be on duty. He was busy these days, like they all were, but she still decided to take her chance. Lost in thought she entered Headquarters and of course she knocked over the bloody umbrella stand again. She cursed under her breath, but was grateful, that she had managed to keep quiet enough to not awake the portrait of Sirius’ mother this time. Silently she descended the stairs to the kitchen, where she found Remus Lupin in an apron by the stove. Tonks had to restrain herself from laughing out loud at the sight of it. He was humming an unrecognizable tune, while he flicked his wand at some eggs, which promptly started to crack themselves into a pan. With one swift move, he turned to get some salt out of a cabinet, when he saw Tonks standing at the foot of the stairs.

“Bloody hell, Tonks, you scared the shit out of me for a moment”, Remus inhaled sharply, “What are you doing here? The meeting isn’t starting for another few hours.” She had never heard him talk like that ever before, always keeping his cursing vocabulary at about the same level as Molly Weasley.

“Language, Remus!”, Tonks teased, “Nice apron by the way.” She raised an eyebrow and grinned at him, as his cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment. It was the cutest thing ever, in her opinion.

“I’m making breakfast for Sirius, since he is too busy being hungover to do it himself”, Remus explained, with a slightly annoyed tone to his voice.

“That’s nice of you. I’m on my free day today, so I decided to drop by”, Tonks said, as she sat down at the table. “What are you up to today?”

“Nothing much, only the meeting in the evening”, he answered, while scrambling the eggs and toasting some bread with his wand. “Didn’t you say, you haven’t seen your friends in a while? Why aren’t you spending your day off with them?”

Guilt flickered in her heart for a moment, but Tonks pushed it aside and said, “I have something different in mind.”

“Like what?”, Remus asked curiously, a plate now loaded with mountains of bread and eggs in his hands.

“I’ll tell you, when you come back down from feeding Sirius”, she chuckled and snatched a slice of toast off the plate, before Remus could leave the room. Tonks didn’t bother to sit back down on the chair and settled on the table instead. Her mother would scold her for doing so, but that was just one more reason she had made a habit out of it.

A few minutes later she heard Remus’ making his way down to the kitchen. As he entered the room, she hopped off the table, almost knocking a chair over in doing so, before she grabbed his hand to lead him back upstairs again. For a moment his body was too busy coping with the sensation of Tonks’ hand in his, to remember how legs worked, but he got a grip on himself in time to not topple over his own feet.

“What are you doing?”, Remus asked as soon as his voice seemed to work again.

“I’m taking you out”, Tonks grinned back at him, “I mean, not like, in a deadly way. I’m taking you out on a date.” She said it so casually, that it took Remus a few seconds to realize, what she meant.

“You- What?”, he stared at her in disbelieve.

“You’re not going to die a date virgin on my watch”, stated Tonks still grinning broadly, her fingers intertwined with his like it was the most usual thing.

“But I- we can’t do that”, Remus stuttered.

“The only reason we can’t do this is if you don’t want to”, she looked at him intently, her smile wavering ever so slightly. All he wanted to do was to erase that insecurity from her mind forever. He wanted her to know, that there was nothing he would rather do, than spend the day with her, but he was stuck for words.

“So?”, Tonks pressed, waiting for his decision.

“Let’s go”, Remus whispered, unable to hide the smile creeping onto his face. With Tonks’ hopeful eyes on him, it was quite impossible to hold himself back. He convinced himself, that she was only doing this out of pity, that to her this would be less a real date, than a favor for a friend. He also tried to convince himself, that he had only agreed, because there was nothing else to do. His attempt failed entirely however, as she dragged him outside. The soft winter sun hit her short lilac curls and when she turned to face him, Tonks wore the widest smile he had ever seen on her. She held out a hand for Remus, who took it instantly. A surge of excitement overcame him as he found a certain mischievousness in her big blue eyes, that he had only ever seen in Sirius’ before.

 _I’m fucked_ , he thought.

Moments later they apparated in a narrow alley next to what seemed to be an adult shop. A small sign flashed to word _open_ and the mannequins in the shop window were wearing nothing but latex.

“That’s where you take your dates?”, Remus chuckled.

“Of course not, you buffoon”, Tonks had grown a violent shade of pink that clashed horribly with her hair. Remus sniggered as he followed her down the road and around the corner. The street they entered was filled with muggles, who crowded in front of shops, stood in line for coffee or hurried through the mass. Remus looked around in amazement, he had never been one for shopping and certainly not at muggle stores. Tonks took his hand again and lead him down the street, obviously knowing exactly where to go. They headed for a huge building with a sign reading _Cineworld_ in enormous letters and entered a loud entrance hall. Muggles were queuing up before a counter that sold tickets.

“What exactly are we doing here?”, Remus asked curiously. His mother had told him of the muggle world when he was a child, but with all the problems his condition had caused them, they hadn’t wanted to draw more attention to themselves by going out a lot.

“We’re watching a movie”, Tonks beamed, “And not just any movie, they’re playing my favourite today.”

“Tonks”, Remus started in a serious tone, “I don’t have any money with me.” He didn’t mention, that, in fact, he didn’t have any money at all.

“Well, I’m taking you out, so I’m paying”, Tonks said casually.

“You don’t have to. We could- we could just do something else”, he tried to argue. He felt an embarrassed blush creeping up his neck.

“Remus, I didn’t expect you to spend any money today. I know, that your financial situation isn’t easy and I would never want you to get into more trouble, just because we went on a date”, Tonks smiled up at him, not a trace of pity on her soft features. Remus appreciated her for not making a big deal about it, but his mood dropped, as he remembered, that he really had nothing to give her. He couldn’t even afford to take her out to dinner, when she deserved the whole world.

Tonks however had already discharged the subject and had moved on to tell him about the different kinds of snacks one could eat during a movie. She revealed, that she was more the type for popcorn, but that they could get some chocolate too, if he wanted some. He politely declined, but she bought a bar anyway. After they had collected their tickets, food and drinks, Tonks guided Remus towards their seats.

“What are we watching? Not that I know any muggle films”, he asked softly.

“Moulin Rouge”, she answered, slumping into a well-cushioned seat at the back of the room. She gestured to the place beside her and he sat down carefully.

“What’s it about?”, Remus wondered.

“Prostitutes”, Tonks threw her head back in laughter at the confused look on his face. “It’s a love story essentially, but a good one at that. Hilarious at times and deeply tragic in the next moment.”

It was impossible for Remus to not like this movie already, when it obviously brought her so much joy. She was beaming, as she told him about the music, the amazing costumes and the actors. He wondered, how she knew all those things.

The movie started, but it was hard for him to unglue his eyes from her smiling face. Tonks was always full of enthusiasm, but this was different. She was ecstatic. Remus couldn’t help taking her hand in his as the opening credits rolled.

“You didn’t tell me, that they’re singing”, Remus chuckled after a few minutes.

“Oh yes, they do. A lot. This movie is batshit crazy, that’s why I love it”, Tonks whispered back.

They sat in silence after that, mesmerized by the story unfolding on the screen in front of them. Halfway through the film, Tonks scooted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder and drowning him in her sweet strawberry smell. Remus was unable to really concentrate after that, his heart hammering wildly in his chest and his thoughts were full of _her_.

His body was aching for her closeness the second she pulled away, when the movie ended. Tonks turned to face him, her athletic legs crossed on the seat like she was at home, and grinned at him.

“So, how freaked out are you, about _this_ being my favorite film?”, she asked curiously.

“Not at all, it suits you. Wouldn’t have expected it to not be at least a little weird”, Remus teased and laughed as her expression changed from playfully offended to pleased with herself. She got up in one swift move, looking around to make sure everybody had left the room.

“Come on, time for phase two of your dating experience”, Tonks held out her hand once again and with rising excitement Remus took it.

Next thing he knew, they were standing concealed behind a few bushes in what seemed to be a park. Remus followed Tonks through the covert out onto a narrow path. People strolled by, some of them raising an eyebrow at the two of them. Remus suddenly felt painfully aware of his tousled hair and how the pair of them emerging out of the bushes must look like to strangers. However, Tonks didn’t seem to mind and her big grin did nothing to make them less suspicious.

The path lead them to a big clearing full of small huts. People were crowded under colorful fairy lights, that were dangling in the trees above their heads. The air smelled of cinnamon, biscuits and tea. Though Remus was sure they were still in London, it felt like they had entered a different world. The muggles around them were laughing and chatting merrily, entirely unaware of the magical world and still had somehow managed to create their own.

A pleasant warmth spread through Remus’ body, partly because of the captivating atmosphere around him, but mainly because Tonks had linked arms with him and was taking in the scene, a soft smile on her face. The reflections of the fairy lights were dancing in her eyes and painted her pale skin in a very Tonks-like mixture of colors. She caught him staring at her, but still he couldn’t look away. Only when she laughed and stuck out her tongue at him, he regained control over himself.

“Where are we?”, Remus asked eagerly.

“Regent’s Park. It’s not always like this of course, this is a Christmas market. Muggles put them up all around the city for the Christmas season”, Tonks answered cheerfully, “I’ll get us some mulled wine.”

She hurried off to one of the huts and returned with two steaming mugs. The wine was sweet, hot and absolutely delicious. The two of them followed the crowd along the path between the huts, occasionally pointing out the ridiculous stuff, that was sold.

“How come you know a place like this?”, Remus wondered, pulling his cloak tighter around him.

“Oh, you know, my best friend from Hogwarts was a muggle born. She always told me about their world and when we graduated we spent a week touring muggle London with some friends, it was the best thing ever. She also showed me the cinema and a theme park not far from the city. We should go there someday”, Tonks said fondly. Remus, of course, had no idea what a theme park was, but he didn’t need to know to be sure he wouldn’t hesitate to go there with her.

Suddenly Tonks burst into laughter. She had just discovered a booth, which sold beanies that looked like plushies. Pulling him closer, she insisted on putting one on his head, that was supposed to look like a wolf. Remus snorted and rolled his eyes at her wheezing uncontrollably.

“There are matching mittens, too”, Tonks laughed, holding them up for him to see. The shop owner was eyeing them suspiciously, obviously thinking that they must have had one mug too many of the mulled wine. For a few moments Remus seriously considered buying the damn hat, just to make Tonks laugh like that again and again, before he remembered his empty pockets. Still grinning, he put the beanie back and pulled Tonks away from the gaze of the disgruntled looking shop owner.

The afternoon light had made way for the dim darkness of the early evening as they reached the end of the market. The fairy lights shone brighter than ever and Christmas music was playing in the distance, when suddenly a single snowflake landed on Tonks’ nose. It melted immediately and she longingly looked up to the sky for more. A wide smile settled on her lips as she saw the first few flakes settling down on Remus’ soft brown hair. He had noticed too and turned to face her, his eyes alight with joy. A bubbling sensation soared through her at the sight of him amidst the falling snow, more relaxed than she had ever seen him before. He looked younger without the constant worry written on his face, despite the grey streaks in his hair.

They wandered around the soon heavily falling snow, sharing stories about their Christmas celebrations as kids, until they were both shivering under their cloaks. As they reached a remote spot behind some trees, Tonks held out her hand one last time. A slight sadness overcame Remus at the prospect of this wonderful day ending. Still, he took her hand and the familiar feeling of apparation squeezed his insides.

A second later they arrived in front of Grimmauld Place. Remus felt like he was glued to the spot, unable to let go of Tonks’ hand. He didn’t want it to end.

“That was the best first date I’ve ever had”, he said with a grin on his face, that didn’t quite make it to his eyes. Although he was smiling, he looked incredibly sad.

“Not that hard, considering it was your only one”, Tonks retorted, but when the gloominess didn’t vanish, she continued, “Remus, what’s wrong? You look like someone ate your last piece of chocolate.” She tried to keep her tone light, but she felt seriously insecure all of a sudden.

“It’s nothing. I just- It was very nice of you, doing all this for me”, Remus was looking anywhere but at her. Her heart dropped.

“Does that mean, you don’t want to do this again?”, she asked almost coldly. His eyes found hers and he looked at her like she had just said something completely stupid.

“Of course I want to, but I assumed you- I mean- Do you?”, Remus stammered, his gaze fixed on her. Tonks couldn’t believe he had actually managed to convince himself, that she hadn’t enjoyed their time together. At a loss for words, she did the only thing that came to her mind. She took a step towards him, flung her arms around his neck and suddenly her mouth was on his. She could feel his body tense, but he didn’t pull away. His lips were soft and hot against hers, his response hesitant at first, but more desperate with every passing second. Remus’ head was filled with the sensation of her body pressed to his, with the little gasps, which escaped her every now and then, and with the taste of her strawberry chapstick. Tonks smiled against his lips as his hands wandered up to cup her cheeks and for a second he feared she would pull away. But she didn’t. She kissed him like her life depended on it, like their time would run out soon and maybe it was true.

Then, suddenly, Tonks’ head snapped back. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips puffy and she had a bewildered look about herself.

“Remus, what time is it?”, she whispered. He took out his pocket watch and read the time.

“Quarter past eight. Why?”, Remus tried to think of something else than the feeling of her hands on the back of his neck.

“The Order meeting! We’re fifteen minutes late”, Tonks bit her lip, but couldn’t help but chuckle. She took out her wand, rapped it against the door and entered the hallway. A few steps in, Remus heard her foot getting caught on the umbrella stand again, but he was prepared to catch her.

“Thank you”, she mumbled awkwardly, but the embarrassment disappeared as she leaned in for another kiss. Tonks pushed him against the wall for a moment, before letting go, smirking at him and heading for the kitchen, leaving him staring after her.

 _I’m so fucked_ , he thought again.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! <3


End file.
